Roe family groups

drummerboy

Well-Known Member
Guys, just wondering if the real big boys go into family groups in winter or do you think they live a solitary life, i mean when out beating or when out lamping foxes we see the family groups and some good bucks but never the real good uns, just a thought i had would appreciate any views yous have.
Regards Neil
 
Niel most of the family groups i see are doe 2 large kids by then and last years twins if still alive and a few others but the big lads will normally be around there with there growing antlers. They just dont look as big.

The big bucks are there but still crafty. A potential gold that never showed his face again

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See the below picture from this last winter, one of my 'big lads' mixed in as a family group, I believe there were 9 other Roe out in a 100 yard radius of this group. All of which were wintering together.


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Tom
 
Your close roe groups in winter are known scientifically as ' a Deme ' What this means is the group are genetically closely related. In hunan terms grandmothers,daughters and granddaughters aunts cousins etc. in addition the male kids,yearlings,poor doers are tolerated within the group.The territorial bucks are hiding and building up body and fat reserves for their greater antler growth in the winter.Roe are concentrate feeders ( new plant growth ) who process food faster in spring/summer. In autumn/winter their metabolism swaps over to a more fibrous ( natural silage ) diet which takes longer to digest ( Hofmann 1985 ) Metabolic rate decreases in winter and weight loss of +/- 10 % in roe.
 
Now that's what i should have said lol great post Morena always nice to have a scientific explanation to what happens. This group were all related and were living on a corner of a piece of ground i manage. This will prove morenas point if any one doubted it lol

DeerforPassion.jpg
 
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